This invention relates to shower curtain support assemblies, i.e., shower curtain rod, curtain hook, curtain, and liner.
The invention is more particularly concerned with a novel shower curtain support assembly that employs a rail and glides that can be used in place of traditional shower curtain rod and shower curtain hooks that hook over the rod. The invention is more specifically directed to a shower curtain support system in which the hooks, i.e., the members that support the curtain and liner from the supporting rail (or curtain rod) are not visible, and provide the shower rail and curtain with an elegance and simplicity of design that has not been achievable in the past.
The typical shower curtain support system, as used in the home and in hotels and motels, uses a tubular shower curtain rod, typically of round or cylindrical shape, with shower curtain rings or hooks that hang on the rod and hold the shower curtain and any associated shower curtain liner. These shower curtain hooks are always visible in from outside the tub or shower, and require space between the top hem of the shower curtain and the shower rod. Also, because the shower curtain hooks have to be able to slide along the outer surface of the shower curtain rod, there has to be an open space above the entire length of the rod. Efforts have been made to make the shower curtain hooks or rings more decorative, but the room for improvement in the aesthetics of the shower curtain hook is rather limited. Also, because the hooks have to be disposed on the rod and have to slide along it, it is difficult to add an attractive pattern or other decor directly onto the shower rod. Moreover, the shape of the traditional rod is limited to tubular, i.e. circular profiles.